Machines: Cold Future
by Guan-thwei
Summary: Terminator meets Matrix, rise of the machine, creation of the Matrix
1. Chapter 1: 1998

Machines: Cold Future  
By: Anthony Angelista  
  
Chapter 1: 1998  
  
BZZ BZZ BZZ! -orty five, it's going to be hot this morning a high 94 degrees, this begins our hea-SLAM!  
  
Waking up is a bitch. Did you ever have one of those dreams where you thought it was so real, and you were going to get something you've always wanted but were forced to wake up before you obtained it? That's what happens to me every morning for work, only some mornings. some mornings I have nightmares. Horrible nightmares of a future I do not wish to see, of a future I do not wish to allow to happen. These nightmares are so real, these dreams are so real. It's like an alternate reality, like something that I was meant to see but cannot see when I'm conscious. I sometimes question my reality.  
  
My nightmares aren't about a lover dying, or a family member dying, or even myself dying. No. They're about everyone dying. They're visions of a time where man is destroyed by their own creations. I don't get to see them all dying individually, but as a whole they are all caught in a war they did not intend to start. Miles upon miles of wreckage, rubble from destroyed buildings, landmarks taken down, parks and plants burned down, fire and ash lay on cold, dark wastes. The sky is a dismal blanket over the earth as darkness consumes the lands. Sunlight, the mainstay of life, is gone.  
  
Recently, my nightmares have been becoming less vague. I can see more of what's happening in them now. The mist is clearing, and I can pinpoint the finer details. Trampling over the corpses and decomposing cadavers are machines. They appear to be cold metal skeletons carrying weaponry I've never seen before. They're the frontline, they're on patrol looking for survivors. Crushing the remains of the dead are what appears to be tanks, only far more advanced then anything I've ever seen. They're like turrets with treads, bigger then any tank I've ever even imagined. Flying in the distance are what appears to be squids, they're dark, and I cannot see any of their detail, but they fly as though they were swimming through the air.  
  
I've been having these visions for 4 years now. They were worse last year, last August really. I could actually see my mother and my with children who I assume she's watching at the playground, innocent children playing on see- saws, jungle gyms, swings, the like. They're living their happy lives, it's so peaceful... Then the flash. A blinding light above Los Angeles' skyline. Not a sound but the screams of all the people at the park and then the explosion. BAWOOM! That's the point when I'd wake up. I guess it was because of my fear of Judgment Day. August 29, 1997, my mother had it programmed into my head that it might come, and it scared me more then anything I've ever known.  
  
Now here I lay in this cruddy hotel on this blistering Sunday in June. I barely have enough money to pay for breakfast. I live off crumbs and spare change. I'm homeless, because I'm not allowing myself to have a home. I need to stay off the grid, I cannot be traced by anyone or anything. I need to keep myself unknown. If this machine rebellion is really going to happen at any time, then I need to keep myself as far from machines as possible. I cannot be found.  
  
Trashing Cyberdyne and destroying the Terminators and their parts called off the end to Humanity. Who's to say some other company won't create something worse? There are companies out there that would do anything for technological advancement. Umbrella and Microsoft come to mind. After causing so much chaos at Cyberdyne, my mother and I had to go into hiding. We hid out in Mexico until mom died of Lukemia. After that, I had to go out on my own. Here I am, 14 and sneaking into hotel rooms as a temporary residence. What a life to live, huh? Machines ruined my life, and the worse part is these machines haven't even been invented!  
  
So here I go again, off to wander aimlessly to find a place to call home. Sometimes I wonder why I even exist anymore? Living out the rest of your life without friends, acquaintances, a residence, or any kind of connections takes away your purpose in life. I guess I exist to ensure that the machines don't take over. My mother always said that I would one day be a great leader. I can't even imagine myself as a leader of any kind, I'm more of a rebel now as it is. Perhaps I won't need to lead anyone, it's a possibility that there will be no need for any resistance to lead.  
  
Off I go with my only belongings: My backpack, the clothes on my back, some food, and a paintball pistol. Off to wander again. My name is John Connor, but to the rest of the world, I am anonymous. 


	2. Chapter 2: 1999

Chapter 2: 1999  
  
Posted: March 1, 1999  
  
Technology gets a brain, machines think for themselves  
By: Rachel Katz  
SILICON VALLEY, CA-  
Breakthrough in Silicon Valley as Cyberdyne Systems and Encom launch the Alpha release of the first Artificial Intelligence. Used primarily for networking security, this software can manage an entire network, find holes, glitches, and security vulnerabilities and repair itself. Going under the working title of "Master Control Program", this software is a constantly working, thinking, evolving piece of technology. It marks the first program to require 0 human assistance.  
  
Given a set of instructions to begin with, the program took to work like a duck to water. It was told to set up a small office network, then set up a large network, and it took off from there. These are baby steps towards the goal of creating a completely self-reliant, dependable, thinking and reasoning set of machines. Cyberdyne has already built servant droids which operate by remote. The launch of the Beta release Artificial Intelligence will have a new name and will be integrated into these servants once they complete the hardware required to run them outside of personal computers and servers.  
  
Posted: September 3, 1999  
  
Smart Chip gets smarter, robots alive  
By: Steven Finbar  
  
SILICON VALLEY, CA-  
Union of brains and automatons is a success. The result of Cyberdyne's B166ER Project was unveiled today with promises for a simpler tomorrow. B166ER, the project to create servant droids which operate independently has completed its Beta stage, while the Artificial Intelligence hardware isn't up to the standards they are striving for yet, they are satisfied with how far they've gone in the past 6 months. While the machines cannot currently learn and expand their programming, they can operate with a Trial & Error engine far superior to anything released to date.  
  
Being released to test families for field testing within the month, they will experiment with these new labor machines. Due to be released to the public by the end of the year, these machines are promised to make all of our lives easier. Cyberdyne's slogan of "We are the future" is holding true. They are pulling us towards things only dreamed of in fiction.  
  
Posted: December 12, 1999  
  
B166ER goes Gold, demand through the roof  
By: Clarence Goldberg  
  
SILICON VALLEY, CA-  
Cyberdyne Systems' first fully functional servant robot is complete. After passing the 3 month Field Testing and perfecting their Integral Artificial Intelligence Chip, the company has announced that their project has reached Gold status and will be shipping within the week. Shocked at the numbers of orders being in the hundreds of thousands over the supply which is currently at a fraction of that amount, Cyberdyne is working overtime to make supply meet demand. This Christmas all of our lives will be simpler. 


	3. Chapter 3: 2000

Chapter 3: 2000  
  
It's good to see we're all making it into the new millennium without a hitch. No war against the machines, no nuclear fallout, no crumbled ruins, no scorched sky, none of that. Just clear skies, people civilizing, and life going on. All is well. Perhaps things will be alright. Maybe I have nothing to worry about. Maybe the Cyberdyne Incident did put an end to that possible future. If that were true, then why do I have these nightmares? In fact, why do I keep having the same one over and over again? I know it's not just a nightmare. I know it's a vision. It's a vision which gradually comes into focus. I doubt this is over.  
  
If I'm going to survive this I cannot survive this alone. My mother always said I'm a natural leader, but I still don't believe it. If I'm going to lead any kind of resistance, I'm going to need help. I know just where to go. I have an old friend I went to school with. His name's Mike Cripkey. He's more of a leader type then me, I remember on all of our projects, any group that he was in, I'd participate in because he knew how to lead a group. He was a big party person too, he threw parties a lot, and whenever things would get out of hand, he'd take control of it. If I'm going to lead anything, I want him by my side.  
  
Now if only I remembered where he was. It's been 6 years since I last saw him. I doubt he's going to remember me. It's always worth a try. This is why I'm at the library right now using their computers. I don't have much time, I don't have a card, so they'll usher me off. Looking on Super Pages, I need to find Mike Cripkey's address. Where is he. Ah! Found him! 9915 National Blvd. That's right next to I-10 on the Santa Monica Freeway. I know where that is. Here comes the librarian, I'm finished, I have his location, now I have to go see him.  
  
As I ride up through the streets on my motorcycle, I think of ways I'm going to explain this whole thing to him. I have to explain the future, where I went, my absence, the rise of the machines, what happened to me, everything. I don't think he's going to believe me, nobody ever does. Nobody believed my mom, and from what she tells me, nobody believed my father. That's the reason my mom was in Pescadero, it was because of the truth of the Terminator. Nobody believed it.  
  
Pulling up to his house, I forget try to figure out how I'm going to even get him to recognize me, I need to make a good introduction. I park my bike in his driveway and walk up to his house. It's much bigger then I remember. That's probably because it's been so long since I've seen it. I step up to his doorstep and knock.  
  
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* A tinny, robotic voice comes from a speaker to the right of his door. "Please state your name and business." "John Connor, reunion with Mike Cripkey?" "Please hold for authorization." After a few seconds of waiting, the door opens and I am shocked at what I see. It's a robot, but it looks like a butler, with a tophat, coat and tie, and everything. "Please come in, have a seat in the den, Master Cripkey will be with you shortly." I cannot believe I'm being ushered in by a robot. This can't be real. This must be remotely controlled. I take a seat in the den and wait a few minutes. Mike enters the den and sits across from me. He looks at me with bewilderment. "And you are.?" "John Connor. Aragon Elementary School? Went to one of your parties, disappeared the day after." "John! Long time no see! Where've you been??" I glance at the robot, who is now walking into the bathroom with a plunger in his right hand. I have to ask, "Wh-what is that?" "Oh, that's B. He's the best thing. My parents got him for Christmas. I don't have to do chores anymore, it's making our lives easier on us." "B? What is he, though?" "He's a servant droid. His actual name is B166ER but he knows himself as B." "Is he.remote control?" "No, it wouldn't be that much easier on us if he was now would it?" "So wait. he only does what he's programmed to do and what he's told?" "Not only that, whenever he finds something wrong around the house, he fixes it. We don't have to give him any instructions unless we really need something." "So wait, he's self-automated?" "Yup, he's a fully functional, self-sufficient, independent and artificially intelligent butler. Watch this. B, can I have 2 slices of pizza please?" From the bathroom, the tinny voice, "Yes master, 3 to 5 minutes sir." And it walks into the kitchen and starts to prepare the pizza, cutting up pepperoni and putting it on as a topping, then microwaving it. "That was very vague, how does it know how you like it?" "It's learned how I like my pizza made over time. It's noticed the repetition in the pattern of how I prefer it." "The thing learns???" "Well not really learning as much as detecting patterns and going with them. It's really the first of its kind."  
  
I remember this. The last thing I saw that could do that was the Terminator. It had a chip inside of it that was essentially its brain. It could learn, and it took my orders. This. B166ER is basically a friendly Terminator. I still can't trust it. My god, they're still going in the same direction they were always going in, even before the incident.  
  
"And who makes this?" "Some company I've never heard of, Cyberdyne or something" "Ok, I really have to talk to you now."  
  
I proceed to tell him everything that happened to me since I left his party. I tell him about my foster parents, about the machines, about Cyberdyne, about the Incident, about what they're capable of, everything my mom told me about them. Of course, he was always a skeptic.  
  
"You're bullshitting me. That shit's insane, you didn't do any of that. And how am I supposed to believe these 'Terminators' came from the future??? It all just doesn't make sense, dude. Get the hell out of here. B, usher him out of here."  
  
B166ER then proceeds to push me out the door. So I got on my motorcycle and left, all I could think about was the stupidity of the technological world. They're creating their own destruction. If there is no fate, then how come I can see it all falling into place? Maybe the machines still won't rebel. Maybe they will just be our servants. Maybe I'm wrong. But my visions tell me I'm right, so I will go with my instincts. This cannot happen. Somehow I have to put a stop to this.  
  
Over the past months I see machine labor popping up all over the place. It's gotten so bad that they now do all of our labor. There are large groups of construction machines building our buildings for us. There are people taking their robotic pets out for walks. It's getting horrible. Not everyplace is like this though. In order for this to be allowed, the government has to pass legislation allowing this. This means that some places are advancing quicker then others. On the plus side, we have never advanced technologically so quickly since we allowed them to start working, but on the negative side, we're sealing our fates and killing ourselves. I fear what these machines are learning about us.  
  
During the summer, I saw a news report. B166ER rebelled against its master. It commited double murder and killed every pet its master owned. This was the first case of robotic homicide in human history. The reason behind this was that the master was going to scrap B166ER for a newer model droid. B just didn't want to die. B learned to value life, and if it is going to kill to keep its life, then everything I have been fearing is coming true. The US government passed legislation that all of B166ER's kind were to be destroyed. Later in the year, one million machines marched on Washington to protest against their destruction. This is looking ugly.  
  
Meanwhile, there is even more going wrong. Information was leaked on the internet about artificially intelligent war machines being built by Cyberdyne systems for the US government. War machines. This is just spelling our own demise. We are moving exceedingly faster towards our demise. All we need now is SkyNet and it's all complete. 


	4. Chapter 4: 2001

Chapter 4: 2001  
  
With the events of September 11th came much fear. Tensions between the United States and the Middle East grew much worse. The US military prepared for a potential attack, and a possible war. This would be the perfect time to put the war machines to the test. With the machines being individual, independent death drones, they may be dispatched easily, what with having no organizational skills. They will all be working on their own, so they cannot give or take orders from each other, and will rely on their human counterparts. At least they will be killing themselves off.  
  
This can mean one of two things. Either the machines will go through some kind of upgrade after failing their first skirmish into the Middle East, or they will be removed from military service and scrapped like Cyberdyne's last failed idea: B166ER. We can only hope that the machines will disappoint the government. Instead of rising against us, they will terminate themselves before they have the chance. We can only hope.  
  
At 8:45pm in Afghanistan on October 7, the first Air Strike was made, bombing pretty much the entirety of Afghanistan's air force and taking out their power. The bombers targeted air defense installations, defense ministries, airport-based command centers, airfields, electrical grids, and other energy production facilities. The mission was a success, but that wasn't enough for the vengeance-hungry leaders of the United States. They sent in ground forces, among those were the killing machine's they proposed to launch into action. Think of this as another Field Test for Cyberdyne.  
  
They sent in escort machines known as T-20 Advanced Utility Server Robots which escorted their war machines in and repair damaged machines. So far the only war machines that they have built are the T-1 Terminator robots. This is it. This is the first Terminator. While still incomplete, lacking a Neural Net processor which allows it to learn, expand, and evolve, and also lacking a central military networking grid known as SkyNet, they are still the body for what will be, in the future, our predators. They better not last long enough to make our government proud.  
  
The machines served the military well, but all of the fighting was in vain. The machines were almost completely taken out in short order. The disappointment sent Cyberdyne's research and development into overtime. The government was furious and took the war machines out of the battle. Cyberdyne would accept nothing but success, so they tried harder to perfect their machines. They knew what they had to do. They had to create a kind of network to connect their machines. Independency is suicide, cooperation is perfection. 


End file.
